Montenegro: Breaking the stalemate?

In a series of articles, euractiv.com looks at the situation in Montenegro following the 16 October elections, when an alleged ‘coup’ was staged against the background of a geopolitical tug-of-war over the small country’s NATO bid.

In an exclusive interview against the background of stalemate in Montenegro, Neighbourhood Commissioner Johannes Hahn told EURACTIV.com that he trusts the country’s political leaders will find a way to compromise, and that he hoped to meet them soon.

Stuck in a geopolitical tug of war over its NATO bid, Montenegro wants the United States to guarantee that it will ratify its accession protocol. American diplomats told EURACTIV that the process will take time but that US policy should not change.

As Montenegro pushes ahead with its bid to join NATO, the pro-Russian hardline opposition, hoping to block the country's accession, is using "neutrality" as ammunition to fight what it calls a pro-Western "mafia regime".

Montenegro will finish the ratification procedure of its NATO accession with a vote in parliament in the coming months. Public opinion is evenly divided for and against NATO membership, but it is unlikely that a referendum will be called over the issue.

Montenegro, which broke away from a union with Serbia to become independent in 2006, has been engulfed in a coup drama since the 16 October general election when authorities arrested 20 Serbians accused of planning armed attacks against government institutions.